Latching device



A. H. BAKKEN.

LATCHING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAY-3, 1916.

1,349,356. Pat nted Aug. 10, 1920.

WITNESSES Z INVENTOR Anagew h. flak/ran.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW H. BAKKEN, 0F WILKIIISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW H. BAKKEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Latching Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to latching devices and particularly to latching devices for electrical switches.

One object of my invention is to provide a latching device of the above indicated character that shall be adapted for use on both single and double-throw knife-blade switches.

Another object of my invention is to provide a latching device of the above indicated character that shall'require only a single operation to unlatch and open the switch in connection with which it is'used.

Heretofore, numerous latching devices have been proposed, but they were so inflexible in design that they had to be modified for different types of switches. In view of this condition, I provide a latching device that is applicable for either single or double-throw switches, is cheap to construct because it comprises only a single movable member and requires only a single operation to unlatch and open the switch to whicl is applied.

The single figure oi the accompanying drawing is a side elevational. view of a double-throw knife-blade switch embodying my invention.

Three insulators 1, 2 and 3 are mounted on a base or panel. board a and areadapted to support stationary contact members 5. 6 and 7. A knife-blade member 8 is pivoted to the stationary contact member 6 and is adapted to engage either of the stationa y contact members 5 and 7. The stationary contact members 5, 6 and 7 are provided with terminal connectors 9 for the reception of conductors (not shown). The stationary contact members 5 and? are provided with projections '10 and 11 having lugs or projections 12 and 18, respectively, thereon.

A latch member 1a is pivoted on a pin 15 at one end of the knife-blade member 8 and is provided with an eye 16 and two lugs or projections 18 and 19. The member 14 is alsoprovided with two springs 17 that are adapted to normally retain it in LATCI-IING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A 10 1920 Application filed May 3, 1916. Serial No. 95,055. Y 4

alinement with the knife-blade member 8. The lug 18 is adapted to pass beneath the stationary lug 12 when the knife-blade mem her 8 is moved into engagement with the stationary contact member 5 and is adapted to assume the position shown in the drawing when the knife-blade member 8 is in its closed position.

If it is desired to open the switch, a hook is inserted in the eye 16, and the member 1 1 is turned relatively to the knife-blade memher 8 in a counter-clockwise direction to cause the lug 18 to move upwardly from behind the lug 12 and thus permit the knife blade member 8 to be withdrawn from engagement with the stationary contact memher 5. When'it is desired to cause the knifeblade member 8 to engage the stationary contact member 7, the member 141 is rotated relatively to the knifeblade member 8 in a counter-clockwise direction to permit the lug 19 to pass above the lug 13. WVhen the knife-blade member 8 assumes the position shown inthe dot-and-dash lines, it is secured against movement in such circuitclosing position until the member 14 is moved relatively to the knife-blade member in a clockwise direction. Since such switches are usually closed by means of a rod having a hook portion which is adapted to be inserted in the eye of the movable structure, the general direction that the knife blade member will be moved to open or close it v will cause the member 1a to move in the correct direction to cause it to lock and unlock itself. Thus, only one simple operation is required to unlock the knife-blade member and move it into its desired position.

The springs 17 are provided for holding the latch member 1 1 in such position that, when the knife-blade member 8 is in its closed position, the stationary and movable lugs are in alinement.

I do not limit my invention to the par ticular structures illustrated, as many modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a knife-blade switch, the combination with a stationary contact member, and a cooperating knife-blade member, of a relatively movable actuating member mounted on the knife-blade member, means for restraining the actuating member in an intermediate position in its path of movement, a stationary lug, and a lug on the actuatlng member adapted to pass on one side of the stationary lug when the switch is being opened anclto pass on another side of the same when the switch is being closed.

2. A knife-blade switch comprising a stationary contact member having a lug thereon, a movable knife-blade member, a latch member pivoted on the knife-blade member and having a lug, and means for normally retaining the, latch member at an intermediate position in its path of movement.

3. A knife-blade switch comprising a stationary contact member having a lug thereon, a movable knife-blade member, a latch member pivoted on the knife-blade member and having a lug and resilient means for normally retaining the latch member at an intermediate position in its path of move ment. i

4. A double-throw, knife-blade switch comprising stationary contact members having lugs thereon, a knifeblade member, a relatively movable member pivoted to one end of the knife-blade member, said relatively movable member having an eye for receiving an operating hook and lugs for engaging the lugs on the stationary members, and means for retaining the lugs normally in alinement.

5. A double-throw, knife-blade switch comprising stationary contact members having lugs thereon, a knife-blade member, a relatively movable member pivoted to one end of the knife-blade member, said relatively movable member having an eye for receiving an operating hook and lugs for cooperating with the lugs on the stationary members, and means for so restraining the movement of the relatively movable member in its mid-position to permit one of its lugs to be disposed behind one of the stationary lugs to hold the switch in circuitclosing position.

6. A latching device for a knife-blade switch comprising a lug on the stationary member of the switch, a member pivoted at one end of the knife-blade member and having an eye and a lug at one side thereof, and opposing springs for maintaining the lug in predetermined balanced relation to the blade member and in alinement with the stationary lug.

7. In a double-throw, knife-blade switch, the combination with two stationary contact members and a knife-blade member, of an eye member pivoted upon one end of the knlfe-blade member, stationary lugs attached to the stationary contact members, said eye member having a lug on each of its sldes to cooperate with the stationary lugs, and means for permitting the lugs to assume such position that the switch is locked in its closed position when the knifeblade member is moved into engagement with the stationary contact members.

8. A switch comprising stationary and movable contact members, a stationary latching member, a cooperating latching member pivoted on the movable contact member and means for normally retaining the pivoted latching member at an intermediate position in its path of movement.

' 9. A switch comprising relatively movable contact members, a latching member relatively-movably mounted on one of said contact members,rmeans for normally retaining said latching member at an intermediate position in its path of movement and a cooperating latching member therefor.

10. A latching device for a switch comprising a movable member, a stationary latching member and a two-way movable coacting latching member disposed on said movable member and normally biased toward a position intermediate its respective paths of movement thereon, said movable latching member constituting an actuating member for unlatching and opening said switch by a single movement and for closing and latching said switch by a single movement.

11. A latching device comprising a sta tionary member, a movable member and a resiliently-balanced latching member movable on said movable member in a plurality of directions, said latching member also functionin as an actuating member for said movable member and a portion of which, when said movable member is moved by means of said latching member into proximity to said stationary member, assumes a relation with respect to said stationary member to prevent separation of said stationary and movable members, a single movement of said latching member permitting the separation of said stationary and movable members.

12. In a knife-blade switch, the combination with a stationary and a movable contact member, of a stationary latching member disposed adjacent said stationary contact member and a cooperating latching member disposed on, and relatively movable in two directions with respect to, said movable contact member, said movable latching member being resiliently poised at a position intermediate the two paths of its movement andv constituting an actuating member for opening and closing said switch.

13. In a double-throw switch, the combination with stationary and movable contact members, of stationary lugs disposed adjacent each of the stationary contact members, and a resiliently alined walkingbeam member pivoted on the movable contact member having a centrally disposed actuating eye alined with its pivot and two oppositely depending latching lugs, the

walking-beam member being adapted to actas an actuating member for the switchand 5 to move slightly in advance of the movable contact member in either direction in opening and closing the same to throw its latch- ANDREW H. BAKKEN. 

